Rotatable tubing hanger structure



Nov. 2, 1954 J. F. BAKER ROTATABLE TUBING HANGER STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed may 17, 1951 (/ACA F. BAKE/P By H15 Arm e/vsxs United States PatentO This invention relates to apparatus for suspending strings of tubing in deep wells, especially oil wells, and it has to do more particularly with tubing hangers hav ing. means for rotating a. tubing in awell about its axis. The present application is a continuation-impart of my prior application Serial No. 782,412., filed. October 27, 1947,, now Patent #2,599,03.9-. I

It is common in deep wells, such as pumping wells, for suspended tubing to become damaged, as by continuous rubbing of sucker rods in a pumping well, and various attempts have been made to distribute such wear or damage by rotating the tubing so asv to change the points of contact from time to time and thereby increase the life of the tubing. I

One object of this invention is to, accomplish. tubing movement in a novel manner and adequately distribute Wear on the tubing so as to avoid injury to as high a degree as possible. p

Another object of the invention is to provide novel and efiicient apparatus to accomplish. the desired func.-- tions. a

It is still another object of the invention to, furnish to the industry a tubing hanger constructionwhich in itself provides means for completelypacking oil-against lossof gas or liquid.

Additional objects. rncludeiso'packinga tubing hanger of the indicated character that bearing. means for the hanger and actuating means to rotate the hanger. are

also packed oil and full-yprotected against entrance of fluids, abrasives, or other undesired. materials.

Additional objects also include the. provision of. tubing hangers which are provided with means for automatic rotation of the hanger or tubingrsupporting portion thereof, by Way of any desired power-applying;

means, such as the means employed in actuating the sucker rods of a pumping well. A particular. object of the invention is to provide a. rotating tubing hanger which is not only highly efficient for thea'purpose but is at the same time relatively inexpensiveto produce, is simple of construction, is. rugged and: durable, and is easy to maintain atlow cost.

,Other objects of this. invention, together -with the various features and characteristics thereof, will: becomeapparent tov those skilled: in. this. art upon: reference to the accompanying drawings wherein certain embodiments of the. invention. are illustrated.

In; the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in elevation andpartly in ver-- tical section, on a. relatively large scale, of, a tubing; hanger constructed in accordance with this invention and disposed in operative position, this form of the in vention providing for manual movement of the rotating hanger when desired; I v

Fig. 2- is a cross section on a reduced scale taken approximately on the line 22, of Fig. l; I

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentarysectional detail indicated by the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view on a much reduced. scale disclosing the relationship of another form. of the invention to a pumping well wherein the tubinghanger is automatically rotated. at a slow rate by way'of the walking beam used to reciprocate thesucker rods-pump ing the well; 7

Fig; 5 is a fragmentary side elevation on an enlarged scale ofthe tubing hanger and means for efiecting' its automaticrotation which are seen in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6' is a vertical section on. an enlarged scale as indicated by the line 6-6 in Fig. 5;

tail. showing adjustable clamp means for connecting to the walking beam a reciprocating. rod employed to actuate the mechanism of Figs. 5 and 9.

Having reference to the form of the inventionv shown in Figs. 1,2, and 3, the hanger is shown as. being carried on a conventional tubing head' 12,, and as being incorporated in a tubing head cap generally indicated at 13 which includes a circular or annular base plate 14 secured by a plurality of bolts 1-5 to an integral flange 16 of the tubing head I2, appropriate packing material 18 being used to render the joint between the base plate 14 and the tubing head 12- fluid tight.

Fixed upon the upper face ofthe base plate 14 is. a cylindrical Wall member 20 which is concentric with av central opening 21 in the base plate 14 and disposed radially outward from the central opening 21 an appreciable distance so as to provide on the upper face of the base plate 14 an. annular bearing-supporting shoulder indicated at 22. For the purpose of. rigidly mounting. the cylindrical wall. member 20 in fluidtight relation upon the upper joint 23; may be employed. The cylindrical. wall. 20' provides within it a cylindrical well. which. receives. a hanger member 24 of generally cylindrical cross section, this hanger member 24 being provided with an.

lower inner wall portion of the hanger member 24' around the opening 25 is threaded at 26 to. receive the upper end of a tubing string. T, and, similarly, the upper inner wall portion around the openingv 25 of. the hanger member 24 may be threaded as. indicated at 27 to receive the lower end of any suitable pipe connection such as that of a swivel. head or the lower end of a lifting pipe, as presently to be described.

On its outer side, the hanger member 24. is provided with an intermediate, horizontally projecting, annular or circular bearing-and-positioning. flange 3.0 below which. there is a downwardly directed cylindrical lower hub- 31 having the internal threads 26', and above which there is an upwardly directed cylindrical upper hub. 32. having the internal threads 2.7:- Asa consequence, the

flange 30 presents lower and upper shoulders adjacent thezoperative relationship shown in Fig. 1,, the downwardly directed hub' 31' extends into the central opening 21. in the base plate 14 to provide a working joint which is packed against any fluid passage therethrough as by means of synthetic rubber rings 37 received in corresponding annular grooves 37a in the hub 31' so as to lie in engagement with the cylindrical wall of the central opening 21. Also, a similar packing ring 38 maybe provided between the bearing ring 36 and an adjacent edge portion of the circular bearing 'flange 30 as indicated in Fig. 1, whereby to guard against loss of lubricant in'which the ball bearings 35 operate, or contamination thereof. 5

According to' the form' of invention illustrated,. the'- hanger member 24 is retained in its operative position.

Patented Nov. 2, 1954 face of the base plate 1.4., a welded.

in the well formed within the cylindrical wall member 20 by means of a closure 40 which is non-rotationally carried by the upper portion of the cylindrical wall member 20, is provided with a downwardly directed retention ring member 42 which may be an integral extension of the closure 40 as shown, and has a lower face cooperating with the upper retention surface 34 of the flange 30 to maintain the hanger member 24 m operative position. The closure 40 is also provided w1th an upstanding hub member 44 which is integrally formed and is threaded as indicated at 45 to receive the lower end of a discharge conduit 46 or the like. If desired, the hub 44 may be also externally threaded at 47 for similar retention of an internally threaded conduit. As illustrated, the outer wall of the integral ring 42 is externally threaded to engage similar threads at the upper end of the cylindrical wall member 20 as indicated at 50, and this relationship may be fixedly retained as by welding 52 which secures the corresponding overhanging flange portion of the closure 40 to the upper end of the wall member 20. As also illustrated, the hub member '44 overhangs the upper hub 32 of the hanger member 24 in rotative relationship, such overhanging portion being in the form of an annular shoulder 54. The resultant joint preferably is in the form of a neat fit, but all fluid passage through the joint is packed olf by means of annular packing rings 55 received in corresponding grooves in the upper hub 32 so as to engage the inner wall of the retention ring 42 in sealing relation.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the hanger member 24 and the string of tubing T suspended therefrom may be rotated within the well provided by the upstanding cylindrical wall member 20, the load of the tubing string being borne upon the ball bearings 35 working between the ball race of the bearing surface 33 and the ball race of the bearing ring 36. These bearing means constitute a combined radial and thrust bearing of antifriction character which serves also to center the lower hub 31 of the hanger member 24 within the central opening 21 of the base plate 14, well fluids and other foreign matter being excluded by the previously described packing rings 37, 38, and 55.

For the purpose of effecting rotation of the hanger member 24 and the string of tubing T supported thereby in the form of invention disclosed in Figs. 1 to 3, the annular bearing flange 30 is provided with a peripheral series of radially disposed recesses 60, each of which is adapted to receive, for example, a rather closely fitting end of a hand tool, access of which to respective recesses 60 is possible through a slot 62 of limited angular extent, such as 45 plus the diameter of a recess 60, as illustrated in Fig. 2. By such means the angle of rotation for any given movement may be limited. In order to insure rotational movement in one direction only, the under side of the retention ring 42 of the closure 40 is provided with a diagonally disposed bore 63 that receives a ball 64 which is urged downward by a light compression spring 65 against the upper face 34 of the annular bearing flange 30, as indicated in Fig. 3. Thus, clockwise movement, as indicated by the arrow of Fig. 3, will be permitted on the part of the hanger member 24, but opposite movement will be prevented by reason of the wedging action of the ball 64 between the surface 34 and the upper wall of the inclined bore 63.

When the parts are in the assembled relation, best indicated in Fig. 1, flow of fluid upward through the string of tubing T and through the opening 25 in the hanger member 24 to the discharge conduit 46 readily occurs without interference. Leakage of such fluid between the upper hub 32 and the retention ring 42 of the closure 40 is prevented by the packing rings 55, and, similarly, leakage of fluid between the lower hub 31 of the hanger member 24 and the base plate 14 is prevented by the packing rings 37. When installing this tubing hanger, or lifting it, or removing it, the load thereof, including the load of attached tubing T, may be very readily handled by threading the lower endof a lifting pipe into the internal threads 27 in the upper hub 32, rather than to use the discharge conduit 46. In this way no load is placed upon the closure 40 and the cylindrical wall member 20.

According to the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4 to inclusive, the tubing hanger is provided with means for rotating it automatically through any approswinging end pr'iate power drive, such as by means of a walking beam employed on a pumping well, as illustrated. With this construction, the tubing hanger includes the same tubing head cap 13 resting upon the conventional tubing head 12 as in the case of the other form, the cap 13 including the 'same base plate 14, cylindrical wall member 20, and hanging member 24 supporting a string of tubing T by means of the balls 35 and the ball race ring 36 as previously described. Similarly, the same closure 40 is used and is mounted and is secured in the same manner. Also parts are sealed off with the same packing rings 37 and 55, as best indicated in Fig. 6. In this instance, instead of using an internally attached discharge conduit 46, a discharge conduit 66 is externally attached by means of the previously mentioned threads 47.

However, with this form of the invention, instead of rotating the tubing hanger 24 manually by means of some hand tool, as with the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the annular bearing flange 30 is provided at its periphery with gear teeth 70 which are engageable by a worm gear 72 which projects through an opening in the upstanding, cylindrical wall member 20 as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, this opening being generally indicated at 73 and corresponding in general with the slot 62 of Figs. 1 and 2. For the purpose of maintaining the threads of the worm gear 72 in engagement with the gear teeth 70 of the bearing flange 30, the worm gear72 is mounted in a gear housing 74 through the medium of roller bearings 75, or equivalent bearing means which are retained as by packed, threaded plugs 76 in the ends of the gear housing 74. This housing '74 is secured in fixed relation upon the cylindrical wall member 20 in any appropriate manner as by means of welding 78.

For the purpose of driving the worm gear 72, a driven shaft 80 is used, this shaft being borne in the bearings 75 and being keyed to the worm gear 72 as indicated at 81. With the particular installation disclosed, one end of the driven shaft 80 is connected by a universal joint 82 with a drive shaft 84 which desirably is telescopic and to which slow, rotary movement is imparted from such power means as the conventional walking beam W illustrated in Fig. 4, intervening conversion means 85 (Figs. 4 and 5) being used to convert the reciprocating, rocking movement of the walking beam W into rotary movement transmitted to the drive shaft 84.

As illustrated, the walking beam W is supported upon any post or derrick structure 87, and at one end is reciprocated by any conventional power means 88 so as to cause the other end of the walking beam to impart reciprocating motion to the sucker rods R of the pumping well. To effect conversion of such rocking movements into rotary motion for the drive shaft 84, an actuating rod 90 is used in this particular form of the invention, the upper end of the rod 90 being secured to the framework of the walking beam W, as by a flange 91 thereof, through the medium of a clamp 92 which includes two opposed jaws 93, one of which carries a set screw 94 to bind against the flange 91. A downwardly extending arm 95 of the clamp 92 carries a preferably rotatable apertured stud 96 which receives the upper end of the rod 9%), the top of which may be headed over or otherwise constructed to retain it in position in the stud 96. The lower end of the rod 90 projects through an apertured stud 98 carried on the outer of an arm 100 pivoted on the outer end of a shaft 101 of a speed reduction gear unit 102 of conventional construction. The arm 100 preferably comprises two spaced members between which the lower end of the rod 90 and the stud 98 are disposed at one end and between which at the other end there is located a toothed wheel 104 fixed on the shaft 101. A dog 105 is pivoted at one end between the members of the arm 100, as indicated at 106, its other end resting upon the wheel 104 for engagement with teeth 108 thereof. Thus, as the walking beam W is rocked, the reciprocating movement thereby imparted through the clamp 92 to the rod 90 is caused to advance the toothed wheel 104 in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 5 through the functioning of the dog 105 as it moves from the broken line position of Fig. 5 to the full line position thereof. Through the gear train in the speed reduction unit 102, rotation imparted to the toothed wheel 104 is transmitted by a second universal joint 110 to the drive shaft 84, and thence by the mentioned universal joint 82 to the worm gear 72 which thereby drives the hanger member 24, through the gear teeth 70, at a very slow rate of speed, which may be at any rate desired, such as one revolution per day or one revolution per week, or otherwise as required. This rate may be varied by moving the clamp 92 inward or outward along the walking beam W to vary its distance from the point of pivotal mounting of the walking beam and thereby to vary the stroke of the rod 90. In order properly to cushion the action of the lower end of the rod 90, it is conveniently provided with a coiled compression spring 112 which bears at its lower end against a head carried on the lower end of the rod 90 as indicated at 114 in Fig. 5 and conveniently bears at its upper end against the under side of the stud 98 or the adjacent end portions of the arm 100. The stroke of the arm 100 may also be regulated by theuse of a stop device 115 which may be mounted upon a base 116 of the speed reduction gear unit 102, this stop device including an upstanding sleeve 118 into which is tightly threaded a screw 120. The height of the head of the screw 120 controls the lowermost position of the arm 100, any lost motion on the part of the rod 90 being permitted by a sliding motion through the stud 98. In order to insure against backward rotation of the toothed wheel 104, a check dog 122 is used, its lower end being pivoted in brackets 124, Fig. 5, its operative, upper end being drawn into position as by means of a spring 125.

With particular reference to the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4 to 10, as above described, it will be apparent that the walking beam W is rocked by its power device 88, and the resultant reciprocating movement of the rod 90 is converted into rotary movement through the swinging arm 100 the dog 105 and the toothed wheel 104, such rotary movement being reduced in the gear unit 102, and the resultant very much reduced rate of rotation being imparted to the drive shaft 84 and the driven shaft 80 through the universal joints 82 and 110 to the worm gear 72, whereby the gear teeth 70 on the annular bearing flange 30 of the tubing hanger member 24 are slowly actuated.

In order to provide a visual indication of the progress of rotation of the hanger member 24, several springpressed pins 130 are mounted in the closure member 40 and its integral retention ring 42, these pins being adapted to be elevated one at a time by a cam member 132, best illustrated in Fig. 8, which is keyed into a keyway in the upper retention surface 34 of the circular flange 30. As the hanger member 24 rotates, the cam 132 travels in an annular groove 134 in the under face of the integral retention ring 42. Each pin 130 has on its lower end an enlarged head 135 against which bears a spring 136 mounted about the pin 130 in the upper portion of a counterbore in which the head 135 works. The cam 132 is long enough so that, as the hanger member 24 rotates, one of the pins 130 is always up, the remaining pins being down in the position indicated at the left of Fig. 6. By taking note of that pin 130 which is up each day or other inspection interval, an inspector is always able to determine whether or not the hanger member 24 is rotating as required.

Inasmuch as variations of the generic invention herein disclosed, which includes means at the side of a rotating hanger member whereby to drive the latter, will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art, it is intended to cover all such variations as fall within the scope of the patent claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a hanger device combination for tubing and the like: a horizontal base having a central opening; a rotary hanging member rotatably borne on said horizontal base; means for driving said rotary member on said base; enclosing means for said rotary member; indicating means carried by said enclosing means'and adapted to be projected therefrom; and cam means on said rotary member for projecting said indicating means from said enclosing means and being adapted to release said indicating means, said indicating means being returnable to initial position following release by said cam means.

2. A combination as in claim 1 wherein said indicating means include a plurality of projectable devices successively arranged around said rotary hanging member, said cam means being long enough to project some one of said devices at all times, the remainder of said devices being retracted.

3. In a tubing hanger combination: a horizontal base having a central opening therethrough; an upstanding circular wall member on said base providing a well Within said member and being spaced around said opening to define a shoulder between said opening and said wall member; a rotary hanging member providing a passage therethrough and including a body rotatably borne and packed on said shoulder, said body having a peripheral flange member provided at its periphery with gear teeth; closure means for said circular wall member and the top of said well, said body being packed with respect to said closure means, and said upstanding wall member having an opening therein opposite said gear teeth; a worm disposed at said opening in said wall member in engagement with adjacent gear teeth and extending tangentially of said wall member; a housing secured tagentially to said wall member at said opening and enclosing said worm; a drive shaft carrying said worm and projecting from said housing; means sealing said shaft and its worm in said housing; plural indicating means projecting from an outer member of said combination adjacent the rotary hanging member; and cam means carried by said rotary hanging member to project said indicating means individually into exposed position, such indicating means being returnable from such projected position upon release by said cam means.

4. In a hanger device combination for rotatably supporting and rotating tubing and the like hanging therein; a horizontal base having a central opening; a rotary hanging member rotatably borne on said horizontal base; means for driving said rotary member on said base; a plurality of indicating means projecting outward from an outer member of said combination adjacent the rotary hanging member and adapted to be extended and retracted through said outer member; and means on said rotary member for projecting said indicating means individually into exposed positions and being adapted to release said indicating means for return of the indicating means respectively to retracted position.

5. A combination as in claim 4 including enclosing means for said rotary member and constituting said outer member, said indicating means being movable in apertures in such enclosing means to and from exposed positrons.

6. A combination as in claim 5 wherein said enclosing means overlies said rotary member and said indicating means are vertically positioned pins projecting vertically upward through said enclosing means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 929,734 Walder Aug. 3, 1909 1,259,854 Greve Mar. 19, 1918 1,662,984 Scott et a1 Mar. 20, 1928 1,679,962 Crans Aug. 7, 1928 2,051,261 M acClatchie Aug. 18, 1936 2,088,418 King July 27, 1937 2,165,410 Penick et al. July 11, 1939 2,180,880 Poulsen Nov. 21, 1939 2,294,061 Williamson Aug. 25, 1942 2,333,847 Deely Nov. 9, 1943 2,471,198 Cormany May 24, 1949 33,333 gi l l M y 1952 a er 2,630,181 June 3, 1952 Solum Mar. 3, 1953 

